victor garber

(S01E07) I think the shift to a more balanced blend of done-in-one cases and linear plotlines suits Eli Stone well. And with the continuing emphasis on "The Adventures of Keith and Matt," and the case of the foul ball murdering baseball player, the show is developing more of an ensemble approach a la Boston Legal, rather than just showcasing Eli and his problems. Even the visions faded to almost non-existence tonight, and I think the show got better because of it.

Finally, after tonight's episode I get the character of Maggie Dekker and see the potential in her. The one-dimensional "annoyingly optimistic naive new kid" is starting to develop some real personality as well as showcasing some actual legal capabilities. This started last week when she nailed Eli as a poseur for becoming "good Eli" only because of his aneurysm. She's actually become a character I like, though I don't see why she had to cut and change her hair color. What's wrong with that hot blonde from Veronica Mars up there?

(S01E04) Is James Avery always a lawyer these days? Every time I see him he's either a lawyer, or a judge, or someone involved in law enforcement. Gosh, even in The Closer he's a medical examiner. And in other things he's been a general and a Chancellor and other characters of power. Well, I guess if you are going to be stereotyped in Hollywood it's best to be stereotyped as a person of authority.

Anyway, Avery was a guest-star on this week's Eli Stone as, you guessed it, a lawyer. But, he wasn't a member of Eli's firm. He was actually requesting the services of Jordan Whethersby to represent him in a case of same-race discrimination. You read right -- this was Jordan's case, not Eli's. This makes it the first time in the show's short history that there was more than one case shown on an episode.

(S01E03) Okay, it looks like we have the formula down pretty well now. Eli's going to have some bizarre visions that will jeopardize his personal and professional life, but those visions will help him make decisions as to what to do. Could it be a brain aneurysm? Sure, if aneurysms can specifically name clients that he hasn't met yet as tonight's does. Instead of creating a compelling long-form narrative, Eli Stone is going to be a typical legal dramedy with a few spot visions thrown in to mess with Eli's life. That's it and it's a shame.

(S01E01) "Oh, Did I mention I recently found out I could be a prophet? Yeah, I was shocked too."

What better lead-in could a show about a guy who may be a prophet having visions of the future (or may just be plain crazy) want than the season premiere of Lost? And in this strike-stripped era of reality television and reruns, any new scripted fare is bound to draw the reddened eyes of those sad and pathetic little viewers asking themselves why oh why did they watch the entire season of Crowned.

But while I went into it expecting something different and interesting, I instead found a fairly standard legal drama with a gimmick. Sure, you could argue that Pushing Daisies is nothing more than a standard mystery show with a gimmick, but the characters and charm of Daisies can win out over that. So far, Eli is missing that ingredient.

(S02E04) I felt like I was watching a bizarro version of Ugly Bettythis week. Betty was a cheater, Justin belched, and the guy from Dawson's Creek was an insensitive jerk! What's next--Hilda dressing conservatively? There were several unpleasant surprises in this episode, but Gio's absence probably made some of the viewers happy. It's always difficult to watch the episodes where obstacles are set up for each character, but how else can there be a happy ending later on? Still, it took a while to get over the shock of seeing Justin wearing his Dad's leather jacket and hearing him say things like "Whatevs."

Finally! TNT&G loses a case! And the client--a kid, even--is wrongly accused! Unfortunately, it came too late for me. Last night, as I sat down to write my review of "Crucified", I realized that I loathed the idea of watching another episode of this show. Even though it has been on hiatus for three weeks because of baseball, I did not miss it one bit. As I watched, I realized that I hate this show. And I mean hate.

But as an aside-- was the acting and the writing in this episode especially horrible, or what? The parents of the victim were given AWFUL, generic lines that they delivered without emotion ("Have you been driving my car again? I told you not to!") and the attorneys' dialogue between each other was way too expositionary. I think this episode was written to catch up new viewers.

Jerry Bruckheimer's newest crime/law drama is not dead yet. Reuters reports that FOX has ordered up three more scripts for the series. Justice, starring Victor Garber, has regularly finished fourth in its time slot on Wednesdays at 9 pm (even behind reruns of Lost- ouch!). Late last month, Fox announced it was putting Justice and Happy Hour on early hiatus ahead of the World Series. That didn't look promising for either show, but at least Justice gets to take another swing at the viewers. No word on the fate of Happy Hour.

Even though I really want to see Kerr Smith and Victor Garber be successful, they can do better. Justice is already predictable... and enough with the handheld cameras!

(S01E05) This is the last episode of Justice for an undetermined amount of time. Earlier this week, we reported that the show is going on early hiatus (along with Happy Hour) in advance of the World Series. FOX says the hiatus doesn't mean the show is getting canceled or is even in jeopardy, but, quite frankly I think it could be in jeopardy. While I like the gimmick of making us wait until the end of the show to see how the crime was really committed, the procedural is becoming awfully formulaic. How are you guys feeling about this show?

I tend to have very little patience with new television programs. I usually give them two or three episodes and then I tune out. I did that for Desperate Housewives during season one and I still don't regret canceling my Season Pass to that show. And now, this fall, I am doing it once again. I get all giddy over new shows that I think have a great premise, and then I get bored quickly. Apparently I can't handle more than 5 seconds of bad television. Here are The Five: New shows that are already getting old:

(S01E04) I really enjoyed Tom Nicholson's (Kerr Smith) storyline in this episode. We get to see his weaknesses as he loses sight of his job when his relationship with a client clouds his judgment. Plus, someone else gets to try a case for once.

The episode opens with a man falling from a skyscraper and then the shaky camera work begins. This week's victim is Daniel Benson, son of legendary studio head Scott Benson. The victim's girlfriend, Molly Larusa, is missing. The two were dating in rehab, which is where Benson plummeted to his death. TNT&G fits into the equation because the missing girl's father is their client, Frank Larusa.

(S01E03) Good opening sequence. We see a guy strangle a girl, then learn it's on a film set, and then we see it's a reenactment for smarmy American Crime. A chick named Beth, who is about to be married, disappears after getting a ride home from a bartender, Jake Garcia.

Garcia has some good evidence against him. He lied to the police about giving Beth a ride home, her sweater is in his car, and so is her blood (which he says came from a cut to her foot). It looks like the cops are going to ambush Garcia at TNT&G offices, but Ron Trott (Victor Garber) turns the tables by parading his client in front of the media and offering a $1 million reward for the safe return of Beth, who may or may not be a runaway bride.

(S01E02) Oh my God. Did anybody else get dizzy while watching this? Maybe the target audience on this show is the MTV crowd. Jeez. All the handheld camerawork, quick edits and zooms made me queasy. That seemed new. Also new this week were the banners for different times in the case (i.e. 'Self Surrender', etc.). Kinda hokey and unnecessary. It also seemed like Rebecca Mader's appearance had been softened a bit since the premiere-- a positive change if you ask me. She seemed a little scary and inhuman in the pilot.

(S01E01) This show seems like a regular Jerry Bruckheimer, over-the-top procedural right up until the end, doesn't it? Just like on every version of CSI, the attorneys on Justice have all the coolest bells and whistles to help them do their jobs. Only this time, there's a twist at the end. We spend an hour watching a team of attorneys spin a case in their favor... and then we get to see what really happened. I want to know what evil genius conceived of this show and I want to simultaneously shake his/her hand and slap his/her face for suckering me into an hour of television every Wednesday night. 'Cuz I'm hooked.

First off, let me say that I am very jealous of the sweatshirt that Keith got from the Prison Break press kit. Since I'm covering Justice this season, Keith sent its press kit all the way across the country to my house. FOX didn't quite go all out with this press kit the way it did for Prison Break. No newspaper. Just a stack of office paper with bios for the actors, including a pathetically short bio for Kerr Smith, and a letter from the law firm instructing me to watch the pilot on DVD (also included).

This was hinted at a few months ago, but now it's official: on November 21, the same day the Alias 5th season DVD set is released (with tons of extras), Buena Vista is going to release a limited edition (40,000 copies) Complete Alias set. The set is going to come in a box that looks like a Rambaldi artifact, and will include 29 discs! The discs will have every single episode of the series, and there will be a bonus disc hidden inside a secret compartment in the set that will include many extras, including interviews with the cast and Jennifer Garner's first interview she ever did.

Not enough for you? The set will also include a hardcover book that will answer all of your Alias question, with an intro from J.J. Abrams himself. All this for only $200.

A few days ago I said I wanted the Complete West Wing set that was coming out this fall for Christmas. But if you wanted to buy this one for me instead I wouldn't mind. Your choice.